At the Nov. 6 Eureka City Council meeting, the council decided to hold a special meeting at city hall on Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. to discuss the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Vigo Street and Broadway, the site where construction of an In-N-Out has been proposed. It was previously determined by city staff that construction of the In-N-Out would require the installation of a traffic signal, which is estimated to cost $450,000, according to a city report.

Councilwoman Kim Bergel said many of the council members received calls from members of the public who were concerned about the cost of the traffic signal and how it was going to be funded.

“We want to make sure everyone is involved,” she said.

Bergel said there is a unanimous agreement that the developer, the Carrington Company, should share the cost of installing the light. However, a staff report stated the developer has “indicated that if they are required to fund the signal construction, the application for the project will be pulled and abandoned.”

Bergel said the property in question has been unproductive for a longtime. She said the city would like to see development there, regardless of what business it is, as the property has a source of blight for over 10 years.

Public Works Director Brian Gerving said, “Whether it’s this project or another project, a traffic signal will help to spur redevelopment of that portion of Broadway.”

Gerving notes however, that the estimated increase in sales tax of $60,000 a year is the lowest figure the city came up with, saying that it represented a “worst case scenario” payback period of less than eight years. Additionally, the estimate of the cost to install a traffic light is intentionally high, he added. Doing so creates the most conservative estimate for the payback period from the estimated increase in sales tax, which at $60,000 a year is less than eight years. Gerving said a contingency option was lightly discussed where if projected sales tax failed to recover the cost of the traffic signal after a number of years, the developer would pay the difference.

Bergel said she invites the public to speak their minds at the meeting next week. “We need to work together in our city to work on these things,” she said. “We can’t know if we’re not hearing from you.”